W♥M (Archive)

Brave Baby / Johnnyswim - Communion MN, Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (18 Feb 2014) concert review

Communion Minnesota #5: February 2014 Concert Poster Brave Baby Setlist Star Forty Bells Days of Our Youth Ancients Cooper River Night Daisy Nothing in Return Magic and Fire Johnnyswim Setlist Falling For Me Don’t Let it Get You Down Diamonds Adelina Take the World Trouble Live While We’re Young Home Heart Beats Actual Wolf Setlist Minneapolis Kerosene & Spark Northern Girl Let it Go The One I Love (short story) Victims & Things Family Communion Schedule 03/04 Rockwood Music Hall New York, NY 03/05 Gypsy Sally's Washington, DC 03/06 Underground Arts Philadelphia, PA 03/11 The Bluebird Bloomington, IN 03/12 Zanzabar Louisville, KY 03/13 Mercy Lounge Nashville, TN 03/18 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN 03/19 Frequency Madison, WI 03/20 Ribco Rock Island, IL Read More Communion Communion, the live music promotions team and tastemaker indie label, continues their monthly music series and residency at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis with its February lineup this Tuesday. … Brave Baby Charleston, SC new indie-rock band Brave Baby tops the bill, in support of their debut, Forty Bells (Hearts & Plugs) with a sound some have described as a happier, Youngblood Hawke-esque Arcade Fire. …

Call it a shot of “southern comfort”.

That’s one of the ways 89.3 The Current and evening host Jade, described the flavor of the music for the evening that was the February edition of the monthly Communion music series at the Varsity Theater.

Communion Varsity Theater Marquee

The live music promotions team and tastemaker indie label continues as a new platform for developing, emerging and established bands to tour, as well as showcases noteworthy local artists.

Local artist Sombear (aka Brad Hale, drummer for Now, Now) got the evening started with selections from, and including the title track to his debut, Love You in the Dark (Trans- Records). Hale, whose alias is a play on the word “somber” is, like his band, signed to Death Cab for Cutie member Chris Walla’s label. The songs, including ‘Incredibly Still’ are highly personal, and echo a '90s pop influence.

After a pair of EPs, Actual Wolf (aka Eric Pollard) recently released his self-titled full-length (on Duluth MN's Chaperone Records). Touching on inspirations from Neil Young to Elton John and able to weave an engaging story, the Wolf got the crowd immediately on their side, with opener, ‘Minneapolis’ and continued with a concise set, mostly culled from fans’ Twitter requests.

Johnnyswim: Amanda Sudano and Abner Ramirez

Nashville (by-way-of-L.A.) folk/soul/blues/pop duo, who also happens to be married, Johnnyswim followed with the longest set of the evening. Clocking in at 45 min., they played selections from their EP, Heart Beats (Big Picnic Records) and previewed tracks from their upcoming full-length, Diamonds, due out April 29.

The couple, backed by three other musicians, has had massive buzz ahead of the album, especially on VH-1 where they were designated a ‘You Oughta Know’ artist and on Palladia, whose “Live from Daryl’s House” program, just featured the two.

Johnnyswim Setlist Photo

Starting with the quiet, ‘Falling for Me’, the couple’s admiration for each other was obvious; often singing to each other as they looked in each other’s eyes. Singer-songwriters Amanda Sudano and Abner Ramirez met after a church service in Nashville and began making music together (in more ways than one).

The Tennessean described their sound as a Lauryn Hill-meets-John Mayer, and while there is a laid-back earthiness present, the songs are more traditional and folk/blues based, rather than rock or rap.

Amanda Sudano

Sudano, whose mother was the disco singer Donna Summer, has a natural gorgeousness about her, and an ache of longing in her voice, as evidenced in ‘Diamonds’, the upcoming album’s title track, which is a bit of a revenge track for the band’s early non-believers.

Ramirez is the personable bandleader, driving each song with a strumming guitar passion. ‘Take the World’ was another sweet ballad sung to each other as much as the audience, so much so that it felt a little intrusive to their privacy as they emoted each verse.

Johnnyswim

The set took fire near the end, with their self-described “only country song”, ‘Home’, which morphed into an off-mic refrain from Johnny and June Cash’s ‘Jackson’. Current radio hit, ‘Heart Beats’ ended the set with a clap and sing-a-long, amidst booming percussion, both pleading in repetition, to “dance until the world ends”.

Expect the mounting buzz to continue for Johnnyswim and even more exposure as the album breaks in late April.

Brave Baby

Keeping with the southern theme, Charleston, SC new indie-rock band Brave Baby closed out the evening with a 35min. performance in support of their debut, Forty Bells (Hearts & Plugs) with a sound that defies any linear definition.

Wolfgang Zimmerman

The band, Keon Masters (guitar/vocals), Ryan [Wolfgang] Zimmerman (drums/vocals as well as producer), Jordan Hicks (bass), Christian Chidester (guitar), and Steven Walker (keys) aspire to an Arcade Fire grandness to their songs, and take some inspiration from that band, though their sound echoes more of a 70s FM radio feel, that reveals more complexities after each additional listen.

There’s a sense of foreboding in the title track with its chorus, "Forty bells, Forty bells, I hear them coming" and drummer Zimmerman took over lead vocals for a couple songs, which gave the music a slightly different relaxed vibe.

“I’m sorry if you were expecting Southern rock”, Masters mentioned, and the riff of ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ cheekily started as he went on to say they’ve been here once before and had time to see the Mall of America on this visit.

Brave Baby Setlist Photo

‘Nothing in Return’ (purposely mis-named on the setlist) cuts deep with its melancholy “I guess I’m never gonna love if I’m never gonna hurt” and the band’s best track, single ‘Magic and Fire’ with anthemic lyrics, “take me home, it’s where my heart is/ don’t let me go, we’ve gone too far/ tie down the load, it’s all we’ve got” ended the night rightly.

Brave Baby is a band still charting its direction and exploring its possibilities and potential, and it will be interesting to see how they move forward.

Communion again succeeded in its mission: bringing up-and-coming national acts to town worthy of your attention, alongside established local artists, for a varied and diverse full night of music.

The good news is starting with the March edition (at least in Minneapolis), tickets have gotten even cheaper for students and public radio members… so now you have no excuse to not attend.

Brave Baby at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (18 Feb 2014)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Courtney Barnett - The Empty Bottle, Chicago - February 18, 2014

Courtney Barnett Tour Poster Setlist David Canned Tomatoes (Whole) Out of the Woodwork Are You Looking After Yourself? Avant Gardener Scotty Says Blah (new song) Lance Jr. History Eraser -- Encore -- Depreston (new song) Tour Dates 02/22/14 Brooklyn, NY Knitting Factory 02/23/14 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater 02/24/14 Noise Pop Festival 05/03/14 Live At Leeds 05/31/14 Primavera Sound Spain 06/06/14 Optimus Primavera Sound Portugal 06/07/14 Field Day London Read More Courtney Barnett It was love at first listen for me and Courtney Barnett. That first song was “Avant Gardening,” her irresistibly languid tale of suffering a panic attack while gardening in an Australian heat wave. “I feel proactive, I pull out weeds…

Melbourne’s Courtney Barnett is one of the hottest new artists of the last year and she commenced her first American tour in fine style Tuesday night at the sold out Empty Bottle in Chicago. The crowd greeted Courtney and her backing band, the charmingly named “Courtney Barnetts,” with enthusiasm; a man in the crowd shouted out “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!” to which bassist Bones Sloane replied, “Oi! Oi! Oi!”

Aussie Courtney Barnett

After setting up their own equipment (don’t you just love it when bands do that?), Courtney, Bones, and drummer Dave Mudie launched into a rousing rendition of “David” from Barnett’s second EP How To Carve a Carrot Into a Rose (which has been compiled with her first EP I’ve Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris into the album-sized The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas). Although other incarnations of the Courtney Barnetts contained a second guitarist, his presence wasn’t missed at all, as Barnett, Sloane, and Mudie filled up the sound skillfully. The only element that suffered slightly was Courtney’s voice, which sounded a bit strained, perhaps from the rigors of touring. A minor complaint, though, as she was still quite capable of belting out her songs, but it might explain why gentler songs like “Anonymous Club” and “Don’t Apply Compression Gently” were left off the setlist.

Courtney’s melodies, voice and guitar playing are excellent

Although Courtney’s melodies, voice and guitar playing are excellent, she’s gained her fame mostly for her hilarious lyrics. It was fun to look out in the crowd and watch people singing along to lines such as, “Reminds me of the time when I was really sick and I had too much pseudoephedrine and I couldn’t sleep at night” or “I masturbated to the songs you wrote / Resuscitated all of my hopes / It felt wrong but it didn’t take too long”. Strangely enough, I think the most enthusiastic reception was for the line, “And in the taxi home, I’ll sing you a Triffids song” from “History Eraser” – which must surely prove there are a lot of closet Triffids fans in Chicago! Or, I suppose, it might just mean it’s the final line of the final verse of a fantastic song. You choose.

The enthusiasm of the crowd was matched by the ever-smiling band. Courtney told us that she was delighted that Chicago provided her with her first snowstorm the previous day. The highlights of the show were the ever-delightful “Avant Gardener” (the true story of an allergic reaction she suffered when gardening on a hot summer’s day), the gentle “Out of the Woodwork” (“Just because you’re older than me doesn’t mean you have to be so condescending”), the previously-quoted masturbation ode “Lance Jr.” (“It doesn’t mean I like you man / it just helps me get to sleep / and it’s cheaper than temazepam”) and the rocking “History Eraser”.

Ever-smiling

During the main set, in addition to eight familiar songs off A Sea of Split Peas, Barnett debuted a new song apparently entitled “Blah” (judging by the set list). It was another solid Barnett song. When the set ended with “History Eraser” I wondered what song would get played as the encore. I was hoping for “Don’t Apply Compression Gently” myself, but instead they returned to play another new song, “Depreston” which she informed us had just been recorded a few days earlier for release as a 7” single on Record Store Day in April. It’s a hypnotic song with some of Courtney’s best melodic guitar work and a propulsive, if downbeat, ending about a depressing town: “If you’ve got a spare half a million / You could knock it down and start rebuilding.” Courtney herself remarked that it was kind of a downer of an ending to the show, and I think we were all a little surprised at the shortness of the set, given that four songs off A Sea of Split Peas didn’t get aired. However, that’s a very minor complaint, as Courtney Barnett and the Courtney Barnetts left us all smiling as we exited the building. I can’t wait for her to come back into town again.

Courtney Barnett at The Empty Bottle, Chicago (02/18/14)

angela ♥ weheartmusic.com

Site Update: February 2014

RSS Feed Widget Read More PS3 Again, the aging PlayStation 3 is still the ultimate all-in-one media box: Games, Blu-Ray + DVD discs, DLNA, Harddrive/USB media, YouTube, Amazon, Vudu, Crackle, Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Redbox. …

It's been a month since I last wrote about W♥M updates, and the current month (February) is almost over. It's been a brutal winter, I'm hoping things will clear up in March, considering that SXSW bands are touring through Minneapolis and I would like to catch some of them.

W♥M News

We get way too many bands wanting coverage, and as much as I would like to cover everything it is just impossible. Just to give you an idea how many emails I get, I have started republishing a fraction of it yesterday on news.weheartmusic.com, which are more or less copy and paste with no or little edits.

Its main function is to get information on the website as quickly as possible. Items listed on the news sight will be automatically pushed to W♥M News via a RSS feed.

On the gaming front, I've been taking advantage of 75% off PS3 digital games. I honestly think that digital games are priced too expensive and 75% is about the "right" price. Personally, I would buy more games if they had that Apple-model of $1. Does it make any sense to you that games are $60 for digital? I have a hard time spending that much on the physical disc equivalent (even though you can resell your old games and make back some money).

Red Dead Redemption (Game of the Year) Rockstar Games

The games I bought recently were House of the Dead Director's Cut ($5) and Red Dead Redemption Game of the Year edition with Undead DLC ($10). Yeah, I've been one of the game and the other one is quite old, but I just couldn't pass up these deals. I think if game makers just start selling games for $5 or less, they will get me to buying more games.

I follow the gaming industry closely and I still can't believe "Day 1" digital games prices are the SAME (or more expensive) than its physical counterpart. It doesn't make any sense to me, there's no printing, no supplies, no retailer, but yet digital is the same price. I understand there are reasons for this, particularly because Sony or Microsoft do not want to piss off their retailer relationship by undercutting them.

Anyway, with Xbox, they are "experimenting" with lower digital pricing, as reported by Gamespot. The first game to receive cheaper pricing is Ryse: Son of Rome for $39.99 digital vs $59.99 for disc. It's still too expensive, in my opinion. Normally, with these things, I just wait a year and pick it up when it's $20 used or new.

weheartmusic.com expiring 2017

On another matter, I've recently had to pay for domain renewal. I tried to pay for four years, but apparently godaddy will only allow three years for some reason. So, we are good until 2017. The pricing is cheap, for just bare bones. You have to remember that when I first registered domain names in the mid-90s, prices were about $100 a year. That's because there was only one name registrar, Network Solutions, and they charged an arm and a leg for domain names. Nowadays, with competition, you can register for $12 a year.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Matthew Sweet at First Avenue, Minneapolis (02/20/2001)

Matthew Sweet at First Ave, Minneapolis (02/20/01) ticket stub Read More The Golden Palominos Next, we have The Golden Palominos, who aren't so much a group as a mission-impossible style team of musicians assembled by Anton Fier... The roster included Peter Blegvad, Matthew Sweet and Flying Burrito …

My very first concert was for Matthew Sweet, during his "Girlfriend" Tour in 1992. I saw him in Fresno, California, and I believe the venue was the Cadillac Club (I'm almost certain, but I could be wrong). I couldn't find any information on Sweet in Fresno online. The internet seems to have a very short memory, and the only information I could find regarding the 1992 dates is on angelfire.com.

The website doesn't list Fresno, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that he must have played Fresno between August 20th in Seattle and August 24th, 1992, in Los Angeles. Based on logistics and geography, and this is purely just guessing, that August 21st could be in Portland, Oregon, August 22nd in San Francisco, California, which leaves us August 23rd in Fresno, California.

I was 18 and I was already driving at this point, but I was still in high school. I remember I was excited to see Matthew Sweet, because MTV's 120 Minutes was playing "Girlfriend" at the time and that was really the only song I knew from Sweet.

For a first show, I honestly have very little memory of this ... I only knew the song "Girlfriend" and didn't even own that 1991 album! In fact, my first Matthew Sweet album was Altered Beast, which came out a year later. I had purchased that album as part of the 10 CDs for 1 penny deal from BMG.

About 10 years later, I would see Matthew Sweet again at First Avenue in Minneapolis. He launched the 2001 tour as part of his release of the 'best of' Time Capsule: The Best of Matthew Sweet 99/00.

I tried looking online for a setlist, but I couldn't find anything. I couldn't tell you all the songs, but I'll bet you he did most of the 'hits' on that compilation album, including the title track, "Time Capsule", "The Ugly Truth", and, of course, "Girlfriend".

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Minneapolis Music Guide: February 24 - March 2, 2014

Ritual Tradition Habit The Belle Game Read More Bomba de Luz Bomba de Luz vocalist Lydia Hoglund rocked the show with her fiery voice and folk rock sound. The crowd responded well to the show, and at one point they even sang along to the chorus when prompted by Hoglund. … Strange Relations The evening started with the ethereal Beach House-esque sounds of local trio Strange Relations. Not only was their sound unique and enjoyable, but lead singer Casey Shaw also rocked the drums - giving Phil Collins …

Here is a guide of some Minneapolis (and St Paul!) shows NEXT week: February 24-March 2.

FEBRUARY 24: TURF CLUB
The Belle Game w/ Bomba de Luz and Strange Relations

Vancouver's The Belle Game (Andrea Lo, Adam Nanji, Katrina Jones, Alex Andrew and Rob Chursinoff) is currently out on tour in support of their debut album Ritual Tradition Habit.

You can hear some tracks on their Soundcloud, including a few remixes from their Remix EP, and a track from their Ritual Tradition Habit album.



The tour kicks off in St Paul, with two local bands to open: Bomba de Luz and Strange Relations. Ski Lodge and Starlight Girls joins them on tour when they arrive in Brooklyn, New York.

02/24/14 Saint Paul, MN Turf Club
02/25/14 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
02/26/14 Cleveland, OH Beachland Tavern
02/28/14 Brooklyn, NY The Glasslands Gallery
03/01/14 Philadelphia, PA North Star Bar
03/03/14 Washington, DC Sixth & I Historic
03/04/14 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
03/05/14 Atlanta, GA Star Bar
03/06/14 Charlotte, NC Evening Muse
03/07/14 Savannah Stopover
03/14/14 SXSW - Maggie Mae's
03/18/14 Phoenix, AZ The Rhythm Room
03/19/14 San Diego, CA Soda Bar
03/20/14 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater
03/21/14 San Francisco, CA Milk
03/23/14 Seattle, WA Vera Project
03/24/14 Portland, OR Holocene

Glasvegas US Tour 2014 Poster Read More Glasvegas Speaking of Glasvegas, I did also catch them at the same Scottish Showcase at SXSW in Austin. As you can see from their setlist, they only had a 30-minute set (as well as all the million of bands at SXSW). … The Ceremonies The Ceremonies opened up the show. The Los Angeles band is made up of mostly three brothers: Matthew, Mark, and Michael Cook. The Cook brothers all seem extremely excited to be on the same bill with The Fratellis …

FEBRUARY 25: 7TH STREET ENTRY
Glasvegas w/ The Ceremonies

Scottish indie quartet Glasvegas is saying ‘hello’ to America again with a three week coast-to-coast club tour of intimate venues that give the audience a rare chance to see the band up close and personal.

Though it marks their 8th tour of the U.S., it’s been three years since we’ve last seen them on these shores, and they come in support of their third studio album, Later...When The TV Turns To Static (BMG), which was released late last fall.

Singer-songwriter James Allan again sets lyrics of heartbreak and melancholy against an epic wall of sound, as seen in the video for “If” from the album, which features a cheeky intro from William Shatner himself.

Freed from the pressures of any band’s second album, the new third record retains the emotional core of their debut and re-affirms boldly, that they are a band still worthy of attention.

Los Angeles band The Ceremonies, which feature the three Cook brothers, open the show with their own blend of indie-rock, chiefly influenced by UK 80’s bands such as Echo and the Bunnymen and The Cure, with poets William Blake and writer Aldous Huxley cited as major inspirations by oldest Cook brother and lyricist, Matthew. The band is supporting their debut self-titled EP (Atom Factory/Capitol Records), which features a heartwarming cover photo of the three brothers together when they were toddlers.

Glasvegas Tour Dates:

February 19 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
February 20 Brooklyn, NY Rough Trade
February 22 Toronto, ON Mod Club
February 24 Chicago, IL Schubas
February 25 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
February 28 Seattle, WA Columbia City Theater
March 1 Vancouver, BC The Venue
March 2 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
March 4 Los Angeles, CA The Echo
March 6 San Francisco, CA Popscene / Rickshaw Stop

Royal Teeth & CHAPPO Tour Poster Read More Royal Teeth Tour dates with Royal Teeth: 06.27- Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern ∞ 06.28- Portland, OR – Star Theater …

FEBRUARY 26: TRIPLE ROCK SOCIAL CLUB
CHAPPO/Royal Teeth/Parade of Lights

…You’ll feel like you stepped into your own surprise party.

Brooklyn based psych-rock band CHAPPO (vocalist/multi-instrumentalists Alex Chappo and Chris Olson, drummer Zac Colwell, guitarist Dave Feddock) promise to bring the party to you!

In 2012 the band released their debut album Moonwater (Majordomo Records) and found themselves with a lot of attention after single, “Come Home”, was the soundtrack for an Apple commercial.

The band returns with their follow up, Future Former Self, to be released this spring, which seems to be a concept album of sorts- “the record follows one man's journey through space to a black hole to help save mankind, while he struggles with the abstract concept of time and its fleeting nature.”

In addition to any space-borne theme, expect a full-on sensory experience featuring costumes, confetti, props (including an LED moon!) and a high-energy performance (Flaming Lips fans, take note…).

New Orleans’ own Royal Teeth returns to town with their own version of happy, jumping dance pop, as evidenced on their full-length debut, Glow (Dangerbird Records)and brings the Mardi Gras party atmosphere, to their own live performances.

Alt-electro Los Angeles band Parade of Lights rounds the bill out in Minneapolis, with Blondfire opening other dates. “Golden”, currently featured in NBC’s Sochi Olympics campaign, will be the title track off Parade of Light’s forthcoming EP, out on Astralwerks later this year.

02/20/14 Boise, ID Neurolux 02/21/14 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court 02/22/14 Denver, CO Marquis Theater 02/24/14 Lincoln, NE Vega 02/25/14 Kansas City, MO Czar Bar 02/26/14 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock Social Club 02/27/14 Milwaukee, WI Mad Planet

02/28/14 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge 03/03/14 Pontiac, MI Pike Room 03/04/14 Columbus, OH The Basement 03/05/14 Cincinnati, OH 20th Century Theatre 03/06/14 St. Louis, MO The Demo 03/07/14 Stillwater, OK Tumbleweed Dance Hall 03/15/14 SXSW The Parish Downstairs

Memorial Sargent House Read More Russian Circles Set within a 15th century Germanic corridor, where gothic murals depicting Sirens of old swirl ... The Parish at The House of Blues in New Orleans is host for one of my favorite instrumental acts, Russian Circles. …

FEBRUARY 27: TRIPLE ROCK SOCIAL CLUB
Russian Circles w/ KEN Mode, Inter Arma

We recently covered Russian Circles in New Orleans and writer Kyle described the stage as "minimalist light show, and an unbelievable clarity in sound which I’ve yet to find comparison, they delivered in waves..."

Russian Circles is currently touring in support of Memorial, the new album from Sargent House. Touring mates KEN Mode and Inter Arma makes up the 'triple rock' at the Triple Rock next Thursday in Minneapolis.

Tour dates:

02/19 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts #
02/20 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom #
02/21 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East #
02/22 Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus #
02/23 Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar #
02/24 Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop #
02/25 Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig #
02/27 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock#
02/28 Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room #
03/01 Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre #
03/02 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge #
03/03 Boise, ID @ Neurolux #
03/04 Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s *
03/05 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *
03/07 San Francisco, CA @ Great American*
03/09 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah *
03/10 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre *
03/12 Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom *
03/13 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad *
03/14 Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory *
03/15 Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar *
03/16 Chicago, IL @ Metro *

# w/ KEN Mode, Inter Arma
* w/ Helms Alee, KEN Mode

We Were Promised Jetpacks Poster Poster Read More We Were Promised Jetpacks We Were Promised Jetpacks will be returning with E Rey - Live in Philadelphia, an album that was recorded at Philadelphia's Union Transfer. The live album will be out February 25th via FatCat …

FEBRUARY 28: TRIPLE ROCK SOCIAL CLUB
We Were Promised Jetpacks w/ Honeyblood

Friday, we see We Were Promised Jetpacks will be playing at the Triple Rock Social Club.

Like many bands currently on tour at the moment, their goal is to end up near or around Austin, Texas, where they are scheduled to appear at some SXSW showcase. And yes, incidentally, I caught the band when they played SXSW a few years ago, at the Scottish Showcase.

Glasgow's Honeyblood (Shona McVicar on drums and Stina Marie Claire Tweeddale) will be opening.

Tour dates:

02.21 - Los Angeles, CA @ The El Rey
02.22 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo's 365 Club
02.24 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
02.25 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo's
02.28 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social
03.01 - Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
03.02 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
03.03 - Cleveland, OH @ the Grog Shop
03.05 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
03.06 - Wilmington, DE @ Arden Gild Hall
03.07 - Washington, DC @ The Black Cat
03.08 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
03.09 - Richmond, VA @ The Camel
03.11 - Chattanooga, TN @ Rhythm And Brews
03.14 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
03.15 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
03.16 - Mexico City, Mexico @ Pasajero

Read More Aaron & The Sea Aaron and the Sea performed in virtual darkness with lights momentarily lighting the stage now and then, illuminating the smoke-filled stage. …

MARCH 1: TURF CLUB
Aaron & The Sea/The Kickback/The Noise FM/Fort Wilson Riot

Aaron & The Sea is listed as headliner for this March 1st show.

Also on the bill are Minneapolis' Fort Wilson Riot, Chicago's The Noise FM and The Kickback.

The Kickback is prepping for a new Summer album called Sorry All Over The Place, so I think they will be testing out the new songs on this tour (which 'kicks' off next week).

The Kickback Tour Dates

02/27 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
02/28 - Milwaukee, WI - Club Garibaldi
03/01 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club
03/02 - Sioux Falls, SD - Bigs Sports Bar
03/03 - Sioux Falls, SD - White Wall Session
03/04 - Omaha, NE - O'Leaver's
03/05 - Lincoln, NE - Vega
03/06 - Columbia, MO - The Bridge
03/07 - Ames, IA - M Shop
03/08 - Lawrence, KS - Replay
03/09 - Topeka - Boobie Trap
03/10 - Wichita, KS - Barleycorns
03/11 - Dallas, TX - Prophet Bar
03/12 - Austin, TX - Amped
03/13 - Austin, TX - TBD
03/14 - Austin, TX - Papi Tino's
03/15 - Kansas City, MO - TBD
04/05 - Kansas City, MO - Middle of the Map Fest

Dune Secretly Canadian Read More Gardens & Villa Starting off was Gardens & Villa, a band that we previously mentioned here. They did a brief forty minute set and surprisingly did a few songs with flutes. …

MARCH 2: 7TH STREET ENTRY
Gardens & Villa w/ Waterstrider

Gardens & Villa are back with Dunes, their second LP, which came out two weeks ago on Secretly Canadian.

Gardens & Villa tour dates:

02.19.14 Cat's Cradle Carrboro, NC
02.20.14 DC9 Washington, DC
02.21.14 Boot & Saddle Philadelphia, PA
02.22.14 Middle East Club Cambridge, MA
02.25.14 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
02.26.14 Il Motore Montreal, QC
02.27.14 The Drake Hotel Toronto, ON
02.28.14 Hope College: Park Theater Holland, MI
03.01.14 Schubas Tavern Chicago, IL
03.02.14 7th St. Entry Minneapolis, MN
03.04.14. Larimer Lounge Denver, CO
03.05.14 Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, UT
03.07.14 The Independent San Francisco, CA
03.08.14 El Rey Theater Los Angeles, CA
03.09.14 U31Club San Diego, CA
03.11.14 03.15.14 SXSW Austin, TX
03.24.14 Shepherds Bush Empire London, UK *
03.25.14 Birthdays London, UK
03.27.14 La Cigale Paris, FR *
03.30.14 Postbahnhof Berlin, DE *
03.31.14 AB Flex Brussels *
04.01.14 Melkweg Amsterdam, NL *
04.03.14 La Fleche D'Or Paris, FR
04.04.14 Motel Mozaique Festival
04.05.14 Let's Get Lost Festival Zwolle, NL
04.07.14 Ideal Bar at VEGA Copenhagen, DK
04.08.14 Haus III & 70 Hamburg, DE
04.09.14 Kantine am Berghain Berlin, DE
04.10.14 Karstorbahnhof Heidelberg, DE
05.11.14 The Holland Project Reno, NV
05.13.14 Barboza Seattle, WA
05.14.14 Fortune Sound Club Vancouver, BC
05.15.14 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR

* w/ Broken Bells

vu + john () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Lord Huron at the Civic, New Orleans (02/15/2014)

Lord Huron at the Civic, New Orleans (02/15/2014) Poster Tour Dates 02/19/14 | Dallas TX – Trees 02/21/14 | Denver CO – Ogden Theatre 02/22/14 | Aspen CO – Belly Up 02/23/14 | Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge 02/25/14 | San Francisco CA – Fillmore 02/26/14 | Ventura CA – Ventura Theatre 02/27/14 | San Diego CA – Belly Up 02/28/14 | Los Angeles CA – Fonda Theatre 03/01/14 | Los Angeles CA – Fonda Theatre Read More Lord Huron Lord Huron's steady rise to the spotlight continues on another lengthy US Tour. Their debut release was just two years ago called "Lonesome Dreams". They have a similar sound to bands like Fleet Foxes…

Lonesome Dreams describes half the people in the world. Lord Huron sings a little chorus that goes like this, "I've been dreaming again of a lonesome world where I've got no friends, just the rocks and the trees in my lonesome dreams and a road that don't never end, I've been dreaming again of a lonesome world where I'm lost and I'm on my own."

Last Saturday, Lord Huron brought their powerful lyrics to the Civic Theater in New Orleans in front of about 1,000 fans. Still a great crowd, even with the band selling out half their dates and a very famous Mardi Gras parade that night called "Krewe du Vieux". Not to mention, New Orleans hosted NBA all-star weekend just a few blocks away at the Arena. A few friends and I made the walk, ended up missing openers Superhumanoids. Fellow touring mates Night Beds, who I was really eager to see, dropped out, and were potentially getting replaced by Minneapolis natives Night Moves.

The moment Lord Huron took the stage we raced to floor, starting the night was their big single "Ends of the Earth". Even my roommate loves these guys simply because that song ended up on the popular Showtime show "Shameless". My favorite track of the evening is their album titled track "Lonesome Dreams". That song got everybody dancing and head bobbing during a 5-min jam session.

Lead singer, Ben Schiender wasn't wearing a cowboy hat like he head during the "Great Escape Festival", in Brighton England. That was the last time I saw these cool cats last May. They played their debut and only album "Lonesome Dreams" in its entirety. Another bit I liked about their set was the fact that didn't play a cover song, which is always refreshing from a fan perspective. Don't quote me though, I've been wrong before and had a few drinks.

Lord Huron was spectacular all night, never missing a beat. Two other fan favorites were "Time to Run", and "I Will be Back One Day" very reminiscent of a classic Fleet Foxes number. Their music makes you think like all those great National albums, but with way more energy in their live performances. Thank you, Lord Huron for a wonderful Evening!

For those of you deciding to see Lord Huron live it would be a very wise decision! They recently recorded a 4 song live Spotify Session EP. My buddy Joe bought a "Lonesome Dreams" t-shirt and poster. Check em out folks!

Lord Huron at the Civic, New Orleans (02/15/2014)

brody ♥ weheartmusic.com

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks at the Cedar, Minneapolis (02/18/14)

Setlist Lariat Planetary Motion (Do Not Feed The) Oyster No One Is (As I Are Be) Cinnamon and Lesbians Spazz Brain Gallop Phantasies J Smoov The Janitor Revealed Senator Shibboleth Asking Price Stick Figures In Love Houston Hades Surreal Teenagers -- Encore -- Rumble At The Rainbo Tigers Father to a Sister of Thought (Pavement) Harness Your Hopes (Pavement) Gut Feeling (Devo) Tour Dates 02/19 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon^ 02/20 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall~ 02/21 – Ferndale, MI – The Loving Touch~ 02/22 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace~ 02/23 – Montreal, QC – Cafe Campus~ 02/25 – Boston, MA – Paradise~ 02/26 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom~ 02/27 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg# 02/28 – Washington, DC – Black Cat# 03/01 – Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts# 03/03 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle+ 03/04 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West+ 03/05 – Birmingham, AL – The Bottletree+ 03/06 – New Orleans, LA – The Parish + 03/07 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s Upstairs+ 03/09 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater+ 03/15 – Portland, OR – Star Theater 03/27 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s * 03/28 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre * 03/29 – San Diego, CA – Casbah * 03/30 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriets * 04/01 – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom * 04/02 – Las Vegas, NV – Beauty Bar * 04/03 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge * 04/05 – Missoula, MT - Top Hat * 04/07 – Calgary, AB – Republik * 04/08 – Edmonton, AB – Starlite Room * 04/10 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre * 04/11 – Victoria, BC – Lucky Bar * 04/12 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre * ^ with Tyvek ~ with Disappears # with Endless Boogie + with Purling Hiss * with Speedy Ortiz Read More Stephen Malkmus Stephen Malkmus (former Pavement singer) and his band, the Jicks, will be stopping by the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis in support of his latest album Wig Out at Jagbags. …

"I gotta do what I gotta do," exclaimed Stephen Malkmus at last night's Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. Malkmus, and his band, The Jicks, are currently out on tour in support of their latest album Wig Out at Jagbags, out now on Matador Records.

Tyvek

Opening up the show was Tyvek from Detroit, Michigan. The punk/rock band has the spirit and vibe of Pavement's DIY sound, and you can easily see why Stephen Malkmus asked the band to be the opener.

Tyvek did about ten songs, such as "Midwest Basement" and "Air Conditioner". Tyvek's latest album is called On Triple Beams, and their last show with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks will be tonight in Wisconsin.

The Cedar was already full of people when Tyvek was playing, but when they stepped off the stage, you can feel everybody started to get closer to the stage. Surprisingly a very full show for a Tuesday evening, and Malkmus would comment on this several time in his set, "Thanks a million for coming out! Thanks a million!"

When the band came on stage, they immediately noticed the two youngsters in front of the stage (they were probably brothers, between 10 and 14). Guitarist Joanna Bolme immediately said, "I was five when my parents took me to see the Who." Which Malkmus deadpanned replied, "We're not exactly the same caliber..."

The Cedar is one of my favorite venue in Minneapolis (and I've been to most of them), but, as Malkmus mentioned on stage, it wasn't a good fit for their brand of "hard" rock. To me, Malkmus may be more comfortable in a dive bar, like the 7th Street Entry... but, based on the turnout of last night's show, that they've clearly outgrown that venue.

I wasn't expecting Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks to play any Pavement songs, but I was sure hoping he would (I'm not the only one hoping, everybody in the audience were expressing the same thing). Instead, I believe only two Pavement songs were played ("Father to a Sister of Thought" and "Harness Your Hopes", the latter was per request by Lisa in the audience).

Setlist Photo

As you can see from the setlist, the majority of it was dedicated to their latest Matador album Wig Out at Jagbags ("Lariat", "Planetary Motion", "Cinnamon and Lesbians", "J Smoov", "The Janitor Revealed", "Shibboleth", "Houston Hades", "Surreal Teenagers", "Rumble At The Rainbo") as well as their previous album Mirror Traffic (including "Tigers", the 'blowjob song' "Senator", "Spazz", etc). Hearing the new songs, they do sound like the typical unconventional "pop" songs you have come to expect from a Stephen Malkmus song. You know, weird music chord changes, falsetto-to-normal singing vocals, etc.

The highlight of their show is at the encore, where the band was really loose on play style and also more incline to go off the setlist and take in requests. Malkmus asks, "What would you like to hear? 'Karma Chameleon'*? 'Wonderwall'? 'Rock 'n Roll Star'?" (which he then sang a weird/non-Oasis version in off key). I believe he was only joking, I don't think they had any intention of playing those songs. But the rest of the encore was basically improv hour... even when Malkmus left the stage, Jake & Mike started singing a Foreigner song, "Hot Blooded", so they all were having fun.

Wig Out at Jagbags is out now on Matador Records, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks are currently on tour in support of the album. If you want to check out that album live, there's no better time to catch them on the road. If you were hoping for some really random cover songs, do yourself a favor and stay until the very end. You never know what they are going to play.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (02/18/14)

* PS, this was probably inspired by the fact that they were playing the Cedar 'Cultural' Center (the big hit song "Karma Chameleon" was by Culture Club). I just got the impression that Malkmus was not impressed with the Cedar, because he seemingly made fun of the fact that the venue catered to 'World Music'. Malkmus said, and I quote, "The sound? Not so good."

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Olga Bell w/ Angel Deradoorian - Krai World Premiere, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (13 Feb 2014) concert review

Olga Bell: Origin/Outcome Program Book Angel Deradoorian setlist Duduk for Two Voices Expanding Flower Planet Grow Komodo Violet Minded Olga Bell, Krai setlist Krasnodar Krai Altai Krai Perm Krai Stavropol Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai Primorsky Krai Zabaikalsky Krai Khabarovsk Krai Kamchatka Krai Liquid Music Series Schedule 03/21/14-03/22/14 Timo Andres: Work Songs 05/06/14 Daniel Bjarnason and Nadia Sirota 06/03/14 Ethel: Documerica Read More Liquid Music The acclaimed Liquid Music Series from Saint Paul’s Chamber Orchestra continues its second season, bound and determined to “expand the world of classical music through innovative new projects … Olga Bell This Thursday welcomes Moscow-born, Brooklyn-based composer/performer Olga Bell (best known for her work with Dirty Projectors) as she world premieres Krai, a nine-movement song cycle described as a sonic love letter … Deradoorian The two-set evening will begin with an intimate collaborative set by Bell and special guest vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Angel Deradoorian, to be followed by Krai. …

Welcome to the Edge.

The word Krai in Russian refers to the “edge, brink, border, or frontier”, and that is what Dirty Projectors member Olga Bell chose to sonically interpret, as the world premiere of Bell’s nine-song cycle was performed last week at the Walker Art Center, as part of the continuing Liquid Music Series, which is co-presented with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the American Composers Forum.

Angel Deradoorian

Bell, and cohort Angel Deradoorian (formerly of Dirty Projectors) and a ten-piece ensemble presented two sets of avant-garde music, keeping in theme with the mission statement of the Liquid Music Series, “to expand the world of classical music through innovative new projects, boundary-defying artists, and unique presentation formats”.

Deradoorian & Bell

Deradoorian began the evening with a 30 min. set of newer compositions, including the opening ‘Duduk for Two Voices’, a stark new acapella piece performed with Bell, inspired by the Armenian instrument of her heritage.

Eschewing selections from her 2009 EP, Mind Raft (Love Pump United), the vocalist/keyboardist instead unveiled lush new works that brought both a modern sound, and tip of the hat to the traditional folk base of her family’s culture, with Bell leading the background vocalists in Kate Bush-like siren hums and wails. The soothing closer, ‘Violet Minded’, with steady but slow percussion, crept quietly then transformed into a revved-up crescendo, to end the set with flourish.

After a brief intermission, the ensemble re-appeared, with Bell taking over the lead role, to debut the 45 min. sonic love letter to her Russian homeland, backed by the sweeping, sometimes fragmented visuals of artist Alejandro Crawford (who has previously worked with MGMT).

The entire performance, deemed Origin/Outcome meant to celebrate the “human vernacular- the music to which we dance, eat, grieve and live”, and was inspired by the country where Moscow-born Bell spent her early childhood.

Considered a mosaic of impressions rather than any political or music-ethnographic statement, each song in the cycle takes geographic inspiration from Russia’s nine regional frontiers. The divergent accompanying visuals both gave the audience a look into life there, and enhanced the performed live soundtrack.

Entirely sung in Russian, it was sometimes difficult to truly understand Bell’s vision during the performance, and while there was a translation printed in the program, it was dark enough in the hushed theater, that following along was not a possibility.

Drawing on Russian folk traditions and the modern indie-pop that bands like her Dirty Projectors favor, the past/present dichotomy was best served in second movement, ‘Altai Krai’, which featured a drone-like, low throat-singing vocal.

Bell even collaborated with her mother (who was in the audience) on a few songs, including ‘Perm Krai’, lyrics taken from a traditional Cossack ballad amidst some manic drumming and soaring background vocals, including Deradoorian’s.

The audience was in rapt attention throughout, and respectful of the performers, staying silent except for the occasional sneeze or cough. The acoustics in the venerable McGuire Theater were perfectly suited to the performance, the room crisp enough to hear even the slight clink of Bell’s metal water bottle as she set it down between songs.

Stage lighting was kept to a minimum, putting the attention on the screen visuals and ensemble as a whole, rather than particular details.

Olga Bell

Bell, who began nervously (probably due to its first performance and all the family and friends in the audience) seemed to settle in with fourth movement, ‘Stavropol Krai’, a mid-tempo’d song with traditional text anchored by electronic and traditional jazz-like percussion.

London multi-instrumentalist Tom Vek, who collaborates with Bell in the side-project, Nothankyou, was initially scheduled to perform as well, but unfortunately was unable to make it, and would have no doubt, rounded out the compositions even more.

Closing pieces ‘Khabarovsk Krai’ and ‘Kamchatka Krai’ were also steeped in traditional themes with a modern sensibility; the former beginning with a raw door knocking-like percussion to be followed by a pulsing electronic beat, the latter more folkish and indigenous sounding with its low singing style and sometimes disjointed vocal and percussive elements.

Bell

Highly personal and very different from her 2011 solo debut Diamonite under the name Bell, Olga Bell succeeded in paying homage to her Russian and Alaskan upbringing through song, while stretching the musical boundaries of her own sound.

While the piece might have been better served as a continuous performance with better transitions and electronic percussion slightly dialed down in the live mix, it did bring a taste of the Russian hinterlands into a Minnesota audience that can definitely relate to any harsh and cold elements.

Engaging, sonically interesting, and knocking down boundaries associated with traditional classical music, score another win for the Liquid Music Series.

Olga Bell at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (13 Feb 2014)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com

DJ Cassidy

Calling All Hearts Columbia Records Read More Jessie J R&B singer, songwriter, and performer Daley has a duet called "Remember Me" with his label mate Brit-Award winner Jessie J. The song has over 4 million views and the duo was asked to play the song on The Alan Carr show …

DJ Cassidy's single "Calling All Hearts" hits iTunes today (February 18th). I just heard the song via soundcloud.com. The track is the preceding single his debut album Paradise Royale, which is set for this Spring on Columbia Records.

About this song, "Calling All Hearts", features vocals from Jessie J and Robin Thick - but also included on the song are: R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige, Passion Pit, Cee Lo Green, John Legend, Estelle, Chromeo, Ne-Yo, Kelly Rowland, and Usher. Playing in the music background is members of Earth Wind & Fire (Verdine White, Phillip Bailey, and Larry Dunn) and Kool & The Gang (Robert "Kool" Bell, Khalis Bayyan, and George Brown), plus Nile Rodgers, Wah Wah Watson, Ray Parker Jr, Jerry Hey amongst others.

What set DJ Cassidy apart from all the DJs in the world, is that he doesn't use samples, instead composing and writing his own unique music with original vocals and lyrics (read: no covers).

DJ Cassidy 'Conversation Hearts'

Due to the President's Day holiday and the slowness of the post office, I did get these fun promotional DJ Cassidy 'Conversation Hearts' candies in the mail. The hearts have "Calling All Hearts" and "DJ Cassidy" text written on it. I think these promos are super cute and reminds me of other promos that's been sent to me in the past, like Sleeper's coffee or the Radiohead's frisbee.

Cassidy is currently touring with Robin Thicke, who is supporting his sixth studio album Blurred Lines (Star Trak Entertainment/Interscope Records).

02/21/14 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
02/22/14 Orlando, FL Mardi Gras
02/25/14 Cherokee, NC Harrah’s Cherokee Resort
02/27/14 Fairfax, VA Patriot Center
03/01/14 Mashantucket, CT MGM Grand Theater
03/02/14 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Event Center
03/04/14 Boston, MA Agganis Arena
03/06/14 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
03/07/14 New York, NY Theater at Madison Square Garden
03/11/14 Rama, ON Casino Rama
03/12/14 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
03/20/14 Austin, TX ACL Live at Moody Theater
03/21/14 Thackerville, OK Winstar Casino
03/23/14 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
03/26/14 Riverside, CA Fox Performing Arts Center
03/28/14 Indio, CA Fantasy Springs Casino
03/29/14 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ djcassidy.com

Minneapolis Music Guide: February 18 - February 23, 2014

Here is a guide of some Minneapolis shows this week: February 18-23.

Wig Out at Jagbags Matador Records Read More Pavement One of my very first real concerts I went to was Pavement at the Cadillac Club in Fresno, California, on 09/16/1994. I sure wish I had the ticket stub or flyer, but I distinctively remember this show because Pavement's drummer Bob …

FEBRUARY 18: CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, w/ Tyvek

Stephen Malkmus (former Pavement singer) and his band, the Jicks, will be stopping by the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis in support of his latest album Wig Out at Jagbags. Tyvek is listed as opener for this show, as well as Madison, before Disappears displaces the band in Chicago.

02/18/14 Minneapolis | Cedar Cultural Center
02/19/14 Madison | High Noon Saloon
02/20/14 Chicago | Lincoln Hall
02/21/14 Ferndale, MI | The Loving Touch
02/22/14 Toronto | Lee’s Palace
02/23/14 Montreal | Cafe Campus
02/25/14 Boston | Paradise
02/26/14 NYC | Bowery
02/27/14 Brooklyn | Music Hall of Williamsburg
02/28/14 Washington DC | Black Cat
03/01/14 Philadelphia | Theatre of Living Arts
03/03/14 Carrboro | Cat’s Cradle
03/04/14 Atlanta | Terminal West
03/05/14 Birmingham | Bottletree
03/06/14 New Orleans | Parish @ HOB
03/07/14 Houston | Fitzgerald’s Upstairs
03/09/14 Dallas | Granada
03/15/14 Portland | Star Theater
03/27/14 San Francisco | Slim’s
03/28/14 Los Angeles | El Rey
03/29/14 San Diego | Casbah
03/30/14 Pioneertown, CA | Pappy and Harriet’s
04/01/14 Phoenix | Crescent Ballroom
04/02/14 Las Vegas | Beauty Bar
04/03/14 Salt Lake City | Urban Lounge
04/05/14 Missoula | Top Hat
04/07/14 Calgary | Republik
04/08/14 Edmonton | Starlite Room
04/10/14 Vancouver | Rickshaw Theatre
04/11/14 Victoria | Lucky Bar
04/12/14 Seattle | Neptune

Communion: February 2014 Poster Read More Communion 89.3 The Current personality/evening MC (as well as resident DJ between acts) Jade teased before introducing Jackson, MS by-way-of Nashville band The Weeks for this month’s installment of Communion, a monthly series …

FEBRUARY 18: VARSITY THEATER
Communion MN - February 2014

Communion, the live music promotions team and tastemaker indie label, continues their monthly music series and residency at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis with its February lineup this Tuesday.

Started in London in 2006 as an informal group getting together to play music (which included Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons Manic Street Preachers/Travis producer Ian Grimble), Communion has launched a new platform for developing, emerging and established bands to tour, as well as showcases noteworthy local artists.

Forty Bells Hearts and Plugs

Charleston, SC new indie-rock band Brave Baby tops the bill, in support of their debut, Forty Bells (Hearts & Plugs) with a sound some have described as a happier, Youngblood Hawke-esque Arcade Fire.

Nashville-based folk, soul, blues, pop husband/wife duo Johnnyswim has been getting the most buzz of the lineup, currently all over VH-1 and in support of their latest EP, Heart Beats (Big Picnic Records).

Locals Actual Wolf (aka Eric Pollard) and Sombear (aka Brad Hale, drummer for Now, Now) round out this very full night of music in Minneapolis.

Communion schedule:

Feb 18 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
Feb 19 Frequency Madison, WI
Feb 20 Ribco Rock Island, IL
Mar 04 Rockwood Music Hall New York, NY
Mar 05 Gypsy Sally's Washington, DC
Mar 06 Underground Arts Philadelphia, PA
Mar 11 The Bluebird Bloomington, IN
Mar 12 Zanzabar Louisville, KY
Mar 13 Mercy Lounge / The High Watt Nashville, TN
Mar 18 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
Mar 19 Frequency Madison, WI
Mar 20 Ribco Rock Island, IL

Read More Incan Abraham Incan Abraham are in the middle of a mini-tour of Southern California, and naturally they started at the Echo in their hometown of Los Angeles before heading out to San Diego and the OC with back to back shows.…

FEBRUARY 19: 7TH STREET ENTRY
Incan Abraham w/ Van Stee

Los Angeles' Incan Abraham is currently on tour, building buzz for their forthcoming album Tolerance (scheduled for April 8th on White Iris Records). In the meantime, the band previewed "Concorde" single for you to hear on Soundcloud.

Jess, who saw them last year, wrote, "For those unfamiliar with [Incan Abraham], their sound could be categorized with the likes of Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear and High Highs... music that goes hand in hand with the strive to be an enlightened being. "

Incan Abraham will be stopping by the 7th Street Entry on Wednesday. Local band Van Stee (consisting of Charlie Van Stee and Josh Kaplan from the disbanded The CVS Trio) is set to open the show. You may recall we previously mentioned their debut album We Are, released last year on Humans Win! Records.

Incan Abraham Tour Dates:

02/18 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
02/19 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
02/20 Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
02/22 Toronto, ON @ Drake Hotel
02/23 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl
02/24 Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
02/26 Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
02/27 New York, NY @ HiFi
03/03 Raleigh, NC @ Slim’s
03/05 Charleston, SC @ Tin Roof
03/06 Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover Festival
03/08 03/16 Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/20 Phoenix, AZ @ The Western

Lucius 2014 Tour Poster Read More Lucius Lucius just stopped by the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis as part of their tour in support of their debut album Wildewoman, out now on Mom + Pop Music. .…

FEBRUARY 20: CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER
Lucius w/ You Won't

NYC-based quintet Lucius is currently riding the crest of a pretty big wave.

After wowing the Minneapolis crowd with an October show at the 7th St. Entry, the band returns to the bigger Cedar Cultural Center this week, supporting their bouncy debut, Wildewoman (Mom + Pop Music).

Co-founders/lead vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig dress, look, and sing in unison, backed by three multi-instrumentalists.

Expect a healthy dose of infectious, dance-inducing pop songs and a good excuse to shake your hips to warm up on a chilly winter night. Time Magazine dubbed them “a band to watch” and hopefully you took note, as the Minneapolis date is long sold out.

Boston-based duo You Won’t, open the show with their own blend of melodic, theatric folk, supporting their debut, Skeptic Goodbye (Old Flame Records).

Tour dates:

02/19: Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
02/20: Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
02/21: Appleton, WI @ Esch Studio
02/22: Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
04/05: Brussels, BE @ Botanique (Rotonde)
04/08: Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso (upstairs)
04/13: Utretcht, NL @ Festival Tweetakt
04/16: London, UK @ Oslo
04/18: Manchester, UK @ Night & Day Café
04/19: Dublin, IE @ The Workmans Club
04/20: Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
06/05: Hunter Mountain, NY @ Mountain Jam
06/06: Randall’s Island, NY @ Governors Ball
06/21: Dover, DE @ Firefly Festival

Together Pangea band photo Read More Together Pangea Together Pangea (or rather their preferred spelling of together PANGEA) is currently on tour in support of Badillac, out now on Harvest Records. Singer/songwriter William Keegan started recording .…

FEBRUARY 21: 7TH STREET ENTRY
Together Pangea w/ Mozes And The Firstborn

We actually wrote about the tagteam of Together Pangea and Mozes and the Firstborn yesterday, so I won't spend too much time re-introducing them.

What I didn't mention was that the Minneapolis show will feature a third local act, Frankie Teardrop, who likes to "make rock and roll jams." Teardrop doesn't take himself seriously and promote bad reviews like, "comically terrible" or "what a joke". Sounds like it's going to be fun. Teardrop will likely play tracks from his latest Tough Guy album (which came out last October).

Together Pangea tour dates:

02/18 - Toronto, ON @ The Drake
02/19 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
02/20 - Madison, WI @ The Frequency
02/21 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
02/22 - Kansas City, KS @ Record Bar
02/24 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
02/25 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
02/26 - Boise, ID @ Flying M Coffee
02/27 - Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
03/02 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
03/05 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill

Aer 10 Spot Read More Kosha Dillz Kosha Dillz (real name: Rami Even-Esh) was next. Although he was allocated a thirty-minute set (as were all the openers), he did not jump straight into his set. Instead, he had a listening .…

FEBRUARY 22: FINE LINE MUSIC CAFE
Aer w/ RDGLDGRN and NeW bEAt FUNd

Boston's Aer released their self-titled sophomore album last month and landed at #6 on the iTunes Album Chart. The duo kicked off their " Word of Mouth Tour" on January 31st and continues to Minneapolis this February 22nd at the Fine Line Music Café.

Aer North American Tour Dates:

02/18 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
02/19 Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall
02/20 Chicago, IL @ Metro
02/21 Madison, WI @ Majestic
02/22 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
02/23 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
02/25 Denver, CO @ Gothic
02/26 Salt Lake City, UT @ Complex
02/28 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
03/01 Portland, OR @ Peter’s Room
03/02 Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
03/05 Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst Atrium
03/06 San Francisco, CA @ Slims
03/07 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
03/08 San Diego, CA @ SoMa
03/09 Tempe, AZ @ Club Red
03/10 Albuquerque, NM @ Lauchpad
03/12-03/13 Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/14 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
03/15 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
03/16 Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory
03/18 Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco
03/19 Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
03/20 Charlotte, NC @ Visualite Theatre
03/21 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts
03/22 Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore

Live at the Cactus Rodriguez & Jacobs Read More Carrie Rodriguez Carrie Rodriguez's last date on a very long National tour for her latest album, Give Me All You Got was at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis last night, April 14th. .…

FEBRUARY 23: CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER
Carrie Rodriguez w/ Frankie Lee

Since no one I know can afford the Paul Simon and Sting concert at Xcel Energy Center, how about checking out Carrie Rodriguez at the Cedar Cultural Center this Sunday instead?

We caught Rodriguez last year at the same venue, and noted that Romantica's Luke Jacobs was there to help her sing and play... as it turns out, the two of them have a new live album called Live at the Cactus.

Expect Rodriguez and Jacobs to play some country-ish folk tunes. Opening up is local alt-country Frankie Lee, not to be confused with the 70s bluesman of the same name.

02/18/14 Cedar Rapids, IA CSPS
02/19/14 Evanston, IL SPACE
02/20/14 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall
02/21/14 Rockford, IL Severson Dells Nature
02/23/14 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural
03/07/14 Conroe, TX Dosey Doe Coffee House
03/12/14 Oklahoma City, OK The Blue Door
03/14/14 Denver, CO Soiled Dove Underground
03/16/14 Jackson, WY Center For The Arts
03/21/14 Bellingham, WA Green Frog Cafe
03/23/14 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
03/24/14 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
03/25/14 Eugene, OR House Concert
03/30/14 Berkeley, CA Freight & Salvage
04/19/14 Lewisville, TX Medical Center

vu + john () ♥ weheartmusic.com